August 05, 2013

George who? Selvie turns heads with his play

George Selvie is No. 98 in your program, not to be confused with Tyrone Crawford, who also is No. 98 but is out for the season. The Cowboys signed the defensive end off the street on July 24 as a camp body after losing Crawford and starter Anthony Spencer (knee).

The former South Florida standout turned heads Sunday with four tackles, two sacks, two tackles for loss and three quarterback hits. He did his best impersonation of Crawford, who had been expected to spell starters DeMarcus Ware and Anthony Spencer before tearing his Achilles.

"He has done a nice job," Cowboys coach Jason Garrett said of Selvie. "He did a nice job from the first practice he has been with us . You can tell he has played a lot in this league. He is a good football player. He is a hungry football player. He works hard in practice. You saw him show up again in the game tonight. It didn't surprise us that he would do that based on how he's been practicing."

Selvie, a seventh-round pick of the Rams in 2010, has played 36 games for three teams in four seasons. The Bucs signed Selvie, 26, in April but released him in May. He was working out and hoping for a call.

"You try not to think about it, but in the back of your mind, you’re like, ‘Man, people are in OTAs; people are about to start camp,'" Selvie said. "I’m sitting at home still working out, playing with my son. But I finally got that call and when I got that call, I was ready. That’s all about being prepared."

Selvie was in his hometown of Pensacola, Fla., only three weeks ago, at a banquet with Emmitt Smith. Smith saw Selvie on the field before Sunday's game and said, with surprise, "They signed you?"

"Through the last three years, I’ve been through some stuff," Selvie said. "So just going out here and having a good game, starting off right. We’ve got four more games left, still got training camp left. I’ve got to build off that. I can’t stay settled. I’ve got to go for greatness, and that’s what I’m going to try to do."